Rotary engine



(No Model.) W. D. OYBRIEN.

ROTARY ENGINE. r

No. 532,179. Patented Jan. 8, 1895.

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onms Pinzas co.. PHOTO-umu.. wAsmNsToN D c y UNLLED STATES PATENT reins.

\VILLIAM D. OBRIEN, OF COLORADO CITY, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO BARTHOLOMEW OBRIEN, OF SAME PLACE, AND WILLIAM LAV- LEss, OE DENVER, COLORADO.

l ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,179, dated January 8, 1895.

ApplialOn H85. June 26: 1394- Serial No. 515,795.l (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Colorado City, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in ro the art to which it appertains to make and l the line y-y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section illustrating the adjusting screws engaging the packing plates. Fig. 4 is a detail View of one of the packing plates.

Similar reference characters indicating cor- 3o responding parts or elements of the mechanism in the several views, let the numeral 5 designate the outer casing inclosing the chamber -elliptical in cross-section. In this chamber is located the cylinder 7 carrying 3 5 the-piston plates S located in radial longitudinalslots formed in the bodyof the cylinder from end to end. The cylinder is mounted on a shaft 7 to which it is made fast. This shaft is journaled in the heads 5a of the casing. The inner edges of the pistons 8 are 6. In the outer edges of the piston plates are located rollers 12, the pistons being recessed to receive them. The rollers engage the wall of the chamber as the cylinder rotates, and reduce the friction to a minimum.

On diametrically opposite sides of the nar- 5o rowest portion of the chamber 6, the casing is provided with longitudinal recesses 13'in which are located packing bars 2l which are Y forced outward to engagement with the cylinder by springs 14 located in the recesses be- 55 hind the packing bars.

The steam, gas, air, or other propelling agent is carried to the engine through a pipe or conduit 15 in which is located a controlling valve 15'. This agent enters the cham- 6o ber 6 through two ports 16 and 17. The ports 16 and 17 are connected by a channel 2O formed in the casing. The casing is also'provided with two exhaust ports 18 and 19.

Between the head plates 5ab and the cylin- 65 der ends are located the movable packing plates 25 which are provided with projections 25a which enter recesses formed in the packing bars 2l and maintain the packing bars in suitable operative relation with the other 7o parts. The plates 25 are faced with some suitable yielding material 25, and are controlled by adjusting screws 26 whose inner extremities are swiveled in projections 25d formed integral with, or made fast to the plates 7 5 25. These screws pass through threaded apertures formed in the head plates from which they protrude, their outer extremities being adapted to receive a wrench for adjust# ing purposes. 8oY

The packing bars 21 may be actuated or held against the cylinder by the force of the propelling agent which may pass to the back of the bars through ports lSO leading from the channel 20. g 5

In describing the operation of the engine,

I will, for convenience, assume that the propelling agent is steam, which, however, must be considered typical of any other suitable agent that it may be practicable or desirable 9o to employ. Assuming that the cylinder is in the position shown in Fig. 1, if the valve 15a is opened, the steam will enter the cylinder through the port 16 directly opposite the mouth of the inlet pipe. The steam will also pass om the channel 2O to the port 17, and' thence into the chamber 6. As the steam enters the chamber through these ports, it

acts on two of the piston plates and propels the cylinder until these pistons have passed the exhaust ports which are located in close proximity to the packing bars. After the pistons pass the exhaust ports, the steam behind them escapes through these ports, and therefore offers no resistance to the next piston.

As shown in the drawings, the arrangement of the mechanism is such that two pistons are always acted upon by the propelling agent, one only being in engagement with a packing bar 2l at any one time.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having theinlet and exhaust ports, the rotatable cylinder,l the spring-actuated piston plates located in the cylinder, the packing bars located in recesses formed in the casing, the casing being provided with ports leading from the inlet channel to the rear of said packing bars, packing plates located between the heads of the casing and the ends of the cylinder,said plateshavingprojectionsformed on their edges which projections enter the recesses ofthe packing bars and engage the ends ofthe latter, adjusting screws located in the casing heads and engaging projections formed on the faces of the packing plates, the inner ends of the screws being swiveled in said projections, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of the casing having the inlet and exhaust ports, the rotatable cylinder, spring-actuated piston plates located in the cylinder, packing bars' WILLIAM D. OBRIEN.

lWitnesses:

Jol-1N McGoAoH, PATRICK H'. I-IEALY. 

